The Rhenish Helm surmounting the
tower of St. Mary's Church in Sompting has long
been believed to be an original Anglo-Saxon
spire: the only one in the country. The style is
identical to that displayed on Anglo-Saxon censer
covers, notably those from Pershore and
Canterbury; and the church tower itself is
clearly of Late Saxon/Early Romanesque style. A
second, lost example, has also been identified at
St. Benet's in Cambridge.
However,
the beams within are in remarkably good condition
for Anglo-Saxon timbers, and there are
indications in the church's history that the
height of the tower was reduced by twenty-five
feet in 1762. Therefore, when the roof was
reshingled in 1984, a team of experts gathered to
resolve the mystery of the helm.
The base of the tower, it appears, was
originally the western end 
of the nave of a small single storey
Anglo-Saxon Church. At a later date, probably in
the late 11th century, the tower was raised to
just above the level of the existing windows of
this period. However, seventeen cores taken from
the roof timbers have denrochonologically dated
the Rhenish Helm to between 1300 and
1330. This would seem to indicate that this
enigmatic structure was built by the Knights
Hospitallers when they took over the church from
the suppressed Templars in 1310.
The style of the spire may, however, have
earlier roots. Warwick Rodwell has suggested that
it is likely that the early 14th century roofing
of the tower was purely a remodelling of an
original, and now lost, helm of similar form;
perhaps with shingled gables as shown on the
Pershore censer cover. Horizontal voids
discovered in all four walls of the tower
certainly indicate a substantial timber framework
predated the present structure.
Introduction
Architectural
& Historical Discussion
Related Pages:
Saxon Churches
